Coupling or clutch mechanism



Dec. 24,1935. 7 HQGG 2,025,108-

COUPLING 0R CLUTCH MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fmerson E. /qqg ATTORNEY Q Patented Dec. 24', 1935 COUPLING OR CLUTCH MEGHANISM Emerson E; Hogg Ne'w Kensington, Pa assignor to Alumin um Company of America, Pittsburgh,-

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February a, 1934', Serial No. 710,249

'1 Claims. .(cmsz-iso) The'present invention relates in general to clutch" or coupling mechanisms. for connecting together mechanical units or elements. It is more partici ilarly directed towards a coupling construction which incorporates a safety mec hanism insuring'automatic interruption or disenanytwo such units, coupled. together for syn gagement of the coupled elements on failure of any one of a pair of so-coupled units to complete .its function oroperation, I

The invention is hereinafter described in its ing mechanism coupled together in synchronized relation by means of the coupling deviceof the invention, parts of the mechanism being broken association with two separate machine elements or units, a bottle filler and a cap-making andappiying mechanism, a coupling or clutch incorporating the' characteristics of the invention being employed to connect these two units in co-.

ordinated and synchronized relationship. It will be quite manifest'to those versed in this art that chronized operation, must be susceptible of in terruption through their coupling mechanism if and when any one of the mechanisms fails to perform its function. This will be quite obvious:

as hereinafter described in more detail, and it is to be understood that the selection of the particular mechanical units, a bottle flllen and a cap-making and applying mechanism, are merely representative of any number of mechanisms or devicesto whichthe improved coupling or clutch device may be readily and efiiciently associated.

It'is an object of the invention to provide a simple and economically'constructed clutch or coupling mechanism which is automatic in its operation to disengage. the driving connection between two It is also an object of the invention to provide a clutch or coupling device, which, after an interruption of the driving connection between two units-coupled together. by the device in question, permits the recoupling of the drive between two such coupled units and returns them to the exact period in the cycle oi" their operation at which the interruption occurred.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a clutch organization which automatically breaks the driving connection between two units and simultaneously breaks-the electric circuit incorporating the main driving unit of the coordinated mechanism.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will present themselves on consideration of the following description when taken in con-t nection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view. of an or-' ganized bottle filler and cap-making and apply:

away to more clearly depict the construction and operation of the organization;

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation,.to an enlarged scale, taken along the line III+III of s. 1 10 Fig. 4 represents an end elevation of the cou- -pling mechanism as viewed from the left of Fig. 3,

Referring in particularity to the drawings, wherein-like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout, a, bottle-filling apparatus,

designated in its-entirety by the reference numeral I0, is illustrated as being' associated with a cap-making and applying mechanism II. The coupling or clutch mechanism which forms the essential part of this invention, and which. connects the aforementioned separate units I0 and cation for patent Serial No. 585,910, to John E.

ignated in its entirety by the reference characing mechanisms herein .illus l2 in synchronized, cooperative relation, is dester l4. 1,

The bottle-filling and cap' making and applyted'have been made the subject-matter of United States appli- Sharp and Max M. Kipfer,-flled January 11, 1932, and form no part of the present invention. In order, however, to-more clearly understand the invention and appreciate the important role played by the improved clutch or coupling, a brief description of the coordinated apparatus is included herein,

The cap-making a'ndapplying machine If is a self-contained unit and comprises in the instant illustration two cap-applying heads IS, the remaining portion' oi the machine beingemployed in manufacturing'caps or closures. A suitable prime mover or driving motor I1 and transmission iii are provided for imparting the necessary relative movements between the-elements making up the machine H, a shaft 20 supported within the base of the machine acting in the capacity of a main drive shaft for this purpose. The motor 11 and transmission it have been shown as secured to the frame of the cap-making such as a mechanical belt or chain drive from i ..a prime mover remote from the machine l2.

The bottle-filling machine illustrated herein comprises, briefly, a main base or table structure 55 porting a rotary table 23 and a tank or container 24 for the substance-to be bottled. Bottlesupporting pedestals 25 mounted on the rotary table 23 receive bottles or containers'""fed to the filling machine by means of any suitable conveyor, such as the mechanism indicated at 26, a starwheel 21 being provided for transferring the empty bottles from-the conveyor 29 to-the pedestals 25, which inturn are raised through the rotation of the table 23 into contact with the release valves 28 depending from the under side of the container 24. Such contact with the aforementioned release valves permits fluid, such as milk or the like, the present machine being a milk filling machine, to flow into the bottles, and proper timed rotation of the plate 23 removes the bottlesfrom filling position. lowering the same out of contact with the release valves thereby accurately controlling the level of the liquid in the bottles.

.Bottles thus filled are discharged from the filler Ill through the medium of a second starwheel 29 (Fig. 1) upon a .table or platform 39. The filled bottles thus discharged are swept along the platform 30 to a position beneath the capapplying heads ii, any. suitable reciprocatory conveyor, such as represented by the referencenumeral 3|, serving this purpose. It is to be understood that caps made in the machine l2 are lightly applied to the filled bottles at some suitable point between the discharge starwheel 29 and the capping heads l6, suitable mechanism for this purpose being described in detail in the aforementioned application for United States pat ent, Serial No. 585,910, to John E; Sharp and Max M. Kipfer, filed January 11, 1932.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing, and by tho e versed in the bottle-filling art, that mecha ms of thisnature must be synchronized in such a manner that the filled bottles having caps or closures,loosely'supported on their open endswill be fed to the sealing heads H5 in correct sequence. For example, in the mechanisms herein illustrated, the heads l5 reciprocate in performing a cap-applying operation, and filled bottles delivered below said heads from the filler in must 'of necessity be directly positioned beneath the sealing h'eadsbetween successivereciprocations thereof in order that the sealing cycles may be carried out in perfect and proper sequence In mechanisms of this nature it oftenoccurs the bottle-filling unit falls to'com-' plete'a operation, such as would happen if a bottle were incorrectly positioned on one of the pedestals 25 and failed to register with a release valve 29, thereby causing a jamming? condition in the This might, and quite often does, cause an interruption in the movement of the parts of the machine with disastrous breakage of bottles, particularly when a rigid or positive connection is used between the filler and cap-applying units.

It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide an impositive connection or coupling member between two such units as l0 and I2 which will permit the interruption of one 1 unit relative to the other, and which will also permit the recouplingof the units following an interruption in such a man'ner that' the units are returned to their exact and proper relative positions with respect to the point in their cycleof operation at which the interruption occurred.

The clutch or coupling mechanism which insures the safety of operation above expressed has to eli been designated in the drawings, in its entirety, by the reference numeral l4. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and. 2, the mechanism I4 is located between the machines Ill and I2, positive connection of the clutch with the main shaft 29 of 5 unit [2 being. accomplished through the inter-' meshing bevel gears 32, 33 and positive connection of the clutch with the bottle filler "I being accomplished through the sprocket and chain drive 34, 35, 36 .to shaft 31. Shaft 31 is connected through intermeshing bevel gears 38, 39 to impart rotation to the various elements of the filler III.

With particular reference to the clutch or coupling proper. (Figs. 3' and 4), it comprises a 15 suitable housing member "seemed as by .cap screws 4| to a vertical side wall of the base of unit I2. Supported within said housing is a stub shaft or shaft 42, deep-grooved ball bearings 43 being inate end thrust therein. The stub shaft extends a substantial distance exteriorly the base of machinev l2, and within the base the aforementioned bevel gear 32 is rigidly secured to the stub shaft in mesh with mounted on shaft 29. The housing" constitutes a totally' enclosed housing for shaft 42 adjacent its bearings 43, the integral end portion and the oppositely disposed replaceable nut 44 being provided with packing grooves '45, and the cavity 30 within the housing being packed with lubricating oil or grease introduced through the drilled holes 49 and 41, the opening 45;bei'ng suitably provided with a lubricant-introducing fitting 49.

The operating elements of the coupling or clutch are supported upon that portion of stub shaft 42 which extends exteriorly the ,base of the cap-making and applying unit I2. These elements comprises a driving member in the form of a flanged sleeve or bushing member 49 slidably mounted on and secured against relative rotation with respect to theextending portion of the stub shaft 42 by means of a key or spline 59. Upon the exterior cylindrical body portion of the sleeve I 49, a hea'vythread 5| is provided, a complemen- .45 tary internally threaded nut or driven'mem'ber 5 2 being threaded on the sleeve 49 and having secured to one face thereof as by rivets 53, the aforementioned sprocket 34.

The exteriorlv extending portion of shaft 42 is 50' undercut and threaded at its extreme extending end, as indicated at 54, and is also shouldered at adjacent the housing 40. A washer 56, positioned against the shoulder 55, provides a bearing surface for the driving and driven elements 49 55 and 52 respectively, whereas a nut 51 and lock nut 59, in adjustable threaded e agement with the end portion 540i stub shaft 42, serve to posi tion a flanged bushing or sleeve 59 slidably mounted upon the stub shaft and supporting a 60 coiled compression spring 59 between its flange and the face of the flanged driving member 49. As will be seen hereinafter the spring 59 is adjustable within certain limits to exert a pressure upon the driving member 49 to urge the same into contact with the washer 56. i

A pawl or key, element 62 is pivotally mounted at one of its ends in a suitable socket 63 secured to a vertical face of the driven member or nut 52, and the opposite end of the pawl is engaged rovided for supporting the stub shaft and 20 the bevel gear 33 similarly 25.

the protuberance or cam-like portion 55 rides out of the cavity 66, the complementary sloping sides of the protuberance and cavity aiding in this operation.

Secured to the frame of unit i2 adjacent the housing 40, in any suitable manner as by cap 'screws'68, is a switch mechanism comprising a bracket 69 to which a bell crank I0 is oscillatably secured-as at "H. One end of thebell crank is provided with an adjustable-screw I2 projecting into the pathof movement of the driving member 48, as will be hereinafter explained, a nut 13 providing locking means for securing the screw 12 in adjusted position. The opposite end of the bell crank is enlarged as at" to a degree to produce bearing contact with an electrical switch controlling button 15 for the purpose of operating this button in response to oscillatory movement oi. the, bell crank. An adjustable stop mechanism comprising a screw '16 and a nut 11, mounted in threaded engagement in a portion of the bracket 69, extends into bufler relationship with respect to the bell crank Ill and limits its movement in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3. A spring 78 acts to resiliently return and r 35 hold the bell crank lever against the screw 16.

Having fully described the mechanism incorporated in the improved clutch or coupling device, its mode of operation is described as follows: Bottles or other receptacles are fed to the filling unit It! byway of conveyor 28 and starwheel 21,

wherein they are raised into filling position and thereafter discharged by starwheel 29. Filled bottles are conveyed by the reciprocating con- I veyor 3| into position under heads l6 where the capping operation takes place. The general movements oi the various elements making up the organized mechanism herein described are imparted by the motor or prime mover I'I, the clutch mechanism I4 acting to connect the units H) and I! in synchronized, operative relationship.

Assuming a condition wherein bottles fed to the filler Ill become jammed, or otherwise interrupt the operation of that portion of the drive between the machine units comprising the sprockets 34, 38' and the chain 35, this condition This condition 01' relative rotation between the members '49 and 52 causes the driving member to rotate and at the same time assume a translatory movement to the lei't, as viewed in Fig. 3,

the pawl 62, for each rotation of the driving member 48, being raised to remove the protuberance 65 from the cavity 66 in the flange 61.- This pa :ticular operation continues until such time as the flange 81 collides with the bumper screw 12, positioned in the path of movement of the driving member 49, which action oscillates the bell crank HI in a manner to cause the portion 14 of the bell crank to actuate the switch button 15,. thereby openingthe electric circuit to the motor I! and stopping the same.

It will be obvious that the spring 18 restrains the bell crank" against the screw 18 and also that the insert plateflil, suitably attached to the flange 81, acts to hold the pawl 62 out or the recess 66 in the extreme relatively disengaged 6' position of the driver and driven members. Furthermore, the compression spring 60 and sleeve 8! act to resiliently and adjustably urge the driving member towards the driven member to take up any wear which develops at the power- 10;

transmitting threads 5|. 'An important ieatureot the invention is the particular arrangement of elements in organized relationship whereby the longitudinal travel of the driving member "is never such as would 1 permit its total disengagement withthe driven member 52. This construction permits the r'ota- :tion of the driven member 52 by any suitable tool inserted in the sockets 8| to draw the driving' member 49 back into position wherein the flange 20 s1 is inabutting relationship with the adjacent face of the driven member --52, the protuberance E5- in registry. within the cavity 66 insuring the recoupling of units l0 and I! in definite timed relationship. The threaded connection 5| be- 5 tween the driven and driving members has been deflnedas impositive in nature, and it is to be understood by thisdefinition that under sufllcient restraining force it is possible to partially disengage the clutch members 49 and 52 and inter- 30 .rupt the prime mover without entirely disengaging the engagement of the threadsil.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is' not limited thereto 35 but may be practiced in numerous other manners within the spirit and scope of the following appended claims. a

. What I claim is:

1. A coupling device for maintaining individual *9 and a driven member, said driving and driven members being connected through the medium of a p0wer-transmitting thread, a shaft con-' nected to a prime mover and supporting said driving member, said driving member being spline-connected to said shaft and permitted to translate along said shaft on relative movement between the driving and driven members, said relative movement impositively disengaging the driven and driving members, and saidtranslatory movement operating to open a switch in the prime mover circuit. u

2. A clutch mechanism for maintaining machine units connected in timed relationship, comprising a driving member slidably mounted upon" a shaft connected to aprime mover, said driving member being adapted. to rotate with-said shaft, adriven member, said driving and driven" members being connected through the medium of a power-transmitting thread, said driven member being adapted to transmit power from said shaft to one of themachine units, said driving member being adapted to slide along its shaft into a position ofpartial threaded engagement with the driven member on interruption of rota tion of the driven member, and said translatory relationship, a housing attached to-one of the units, a shaft supported in said housing and mu 4' r direct connection with the main shaft oi said mentioned unit, said main shaft being directconnected to a. prime mover, a driving member slid-' ably mounted on said shaft, said driving member being provided with power-transmitting threads upon an exterior portion thereof, a

driven member provided with interior comple mover, and saidthreaded connection between" driving and driven members permitting positive reengagement thereof and resumption of synchronized operation from the point in a cycle of operation at which the interruption occurred.

4. In a coupling device for maintaining inachine units connected in synchronized relationship, a driving means and 'a driven means, a

power-transmitting connection between said driving and driven means, s'aidconnection being tial "positively and completely engaged during normal operation of the machine units and in parpositive disengagement on interruption therein, said partial disengagement oi the powertransmitting' connection, insuring reestablishment of the connection at the point in a cycle of operation at which the interruption occurred. v 5. In a coupling device for maintaining machine units connected in synchronized relationship, a driving means and. adriven. means, a-

power-transmitting threaded connection between said driving and driven means, said. threaded connection'being completely engaged during normal driving operation and partially separated on interruption therein, and means supported on driving and driven means, said connection being said driven means and engageable with said driving means adapted to insure reestablishment of complete engagement of said threaded connection at the point in a cycle of operation at which the interruption occurred. A

6. 'In a coupling device for maintaining machine units connected in synchronized relationship, a driving means and a driven means, a power-transmitting connection between said positively and completely engaged during normal operationof the machine units and in partial positive disengagement during an interruption in a cycle thereof, said partial disengagement of the power-transmitting connection insuring reestablishment of the connection at the point in i a cycle of operation at which the interruption occurred, and means actuated by said partial disengagement of the power-transmitting connection adapted to interrupt power to said driving means.

'7. In a coupling devicefor maintaining machine units connectedin synchronized relationship, a driving member and a drivenmember, said driving member being slidably keyed to a shaft connected to a. prime mover, said driven member being connected through a power-transmitting thread to thedriving member, a pawl pivotally secured to the driven member and adapted to enter a cavity in the driving member, saidpawl being adapted to impositively maintain the threaded connection but permit partial separation of the driving and driven members at their threaded connection in response to an interrup-' tion in a cycle of operation of the synchronized 5 units, said partial separation of the threaded connection insuring re'establishment oi driving relationship between the driving and driven members at the point in a cycle of operation at which the interruption occurred, and means actuatable by 40 the partial separation of the threaded connection for interrupting power to the prime mover.

. EMERSON E. HOGG. 

